Interior walls are typically constructed out of sheets of drywall. Metal corner pieces have long been used in the art of constructing interior walls to protect the junctures formed by two drywall sheets. Metal corner caps are used to secure, stabilize and protect the juncture of three adjacent surfaces such as for a built-in mantel, low partition walls, or stairways where there are outside corners. Metal corner beads are used to secure, stabilize and protect the juncture of two walls forming a ninety degree corner (or other angles as well). Typically these pieces consist of pieces of metal that are folded to form flanges. The flanges typically contain nail holes through which the corner beads are secured to the two walls. A typical corner cap consists of three sets of flanges extending laterally in three orthogonal planes. Each set of flanges forms a right angle so that it can fit the juncture of two walls.
In current practice, the corner pieces are fitted onto the corner and nailed to adjacent sheets of drywall which form the walls. After the corner pieces are secured they are usually covered with tape and plaster to provide a smooth undetectable finish. The pieces protect the exposed edges of the drywall sheets which typically consist of bare plaster. The corner pieces also provide stability to corner junctures which are most often vulnerable to pressure that can occur when the corner is inadvertently hit by a person or an object.
Corner pieces are popular in the building industry because they provide an inexpensive means to achieve professional finishing for wall construction. Metal corner pieces are typically formed from single sheets of metal such as galvanized steel which are die punched and then bent into the necessary shape. The pieces can therefore be mass produced at a relatively low cost.
A major disadvantage of current metal corner pieces however is that the installer must hold the piece in place while he or she secures it to the adjacent walls. This presents a difficulty because the installer must also hold the nail that is being used to secure the corner piece. The installer must therefore hold the corner piece and the nail with one hand while he or she uses the other hand to hold a hammer. This overload of function may lead to a misaligned installation of the corner piece or damage to the adjacent walls from an errant hit of the hammer.